White lies, polite lies [ Reading & Writing / Communication ]
… to be able to lie in polite conversation. Elinor, the heroine of Sense and Sensibility (1811), knows how to behave in society – unlike her sister Marianne: ‘It was impossible for [Marianne] to say what she did not feel, however trivial the … skilled in throwing the ball of conversation,’ relies on the power of flattery throughout, and is a great success in society. 14 By contrast, another character, Miss Clarendon, insists on absolute honesty at all times, but this is shown … of even hearing a polite lie without immediately rebuking the speaker, and thus incapable of participating in polite society. If only in the subtext, Edgeworth pitches the Rousseauesque ideal of sincerity against the polite lie. Even the …
Conversation | Falsehood | Lies | Politeness
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